The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-17
Boilers Made of Iron Condemned as Rotten
and Dangerous Accepted by the Trustees
Over the Engineers Violent Protest.
For Directing to the Outrageous Pro-
ceeding He Is Discharged.
How the States Money Was Knowingly
Wasted and the Lives Of the Hospital
Inmates Criminally Endangered.

Inc inveetlgAtlon OF the 0ndtrS OF tn0 Hospit0i
for the Insane was taken up again last evening,
at 7:3O o'clock. by the House committee. In ad-
dition to Messrs. Swift and Morton, W. ID.
Foulke, of the State Civil-service Association,
was present. but took no part in the examination
of witnesses.
Four attendants in the female department.
Misses Lou Armistead, Emma Reifel, Lizzie
Hazard and Mary Jones, were Intercepted as
to whether DR. Harrison had not seen and
spoken with them since they were subnanaed on
Monday with a view to influencing their testi-
mony. They all denied any such interference on
the part of the Doctor. except that he had told
two or three of them in q general way to tell the
truth.
Henry NJ Stacey took the witness-seat He
said that he was a mechanical engineer. and had
followed that profession for seven years. He
has lived in Indianapolis twenty five years. hav-
ing come here to build the gas-works and was
engineer at those works for eighteen years. He
was employed at the Insane Hospital by the
trustees as engineer and superintendent of con-
struction of boiler-house and water works He
went to tho hospital in April. 1885. and remained
there until he was discharged in March, 1886
Eight boilers were put in. They were made by
Hetherington & Berner. of this city.
Questicn-What was the first thing you did with
reference to the boilersg
Answer-After the contract was made with Hether-
ington g. Berner, it became my duty to inspect the
construction of them in the shop. When l got In.
formation the iron had arrived sent word rot to go
to work on it until It When looked at it
it of the quality the specifications demanded.
said would never receive the iron. Hail. the stew
ard ssid he would see was made to accept it. /
stopped them in the shop two three days. and Hall
came to and said he had been to Lebanon, had
seen DR.. Harrison, who said he would be down in
day or two and see about it When DR.. Harrison
came down. stated to him what the matter
with the iron, also to Mr. Gapen. When Mr.. Hether-
ington came out there was quite talk in the Office
never consent to receive such iron unless salts
fed it the the contract required. Harri
specifications called for charcoal hammered iron.
Q.-What about the iron having no stamp on It'll
A-.For that reason refused to receive it. The
specifications held the iron must be stamped with the
quality and the name Of the Manufacturers.
Q.-What general criticism do you make upon the
iron?
Al say it was not fit to go into boilers at ALL It
was common iron-the commonest kind.
The witness then produced correspondents
had with the manufacturers of the iron at
Springfield, ILL.,, who assured him the iron was
all right; that it was not stamped was an over
sight, and finally rs1n was sent here to stamp
the tensile strength upon the iron. But they
refused to give . guarantee. Going back and
forth to the shop of Hetherington & Berner
the witness would pick up pieces of the iron
from day to day. He would break some of
stopped the work second time. They said il
the iron was not satisfactory they would get
other iron. The witness doubted if they got
| other iron. It was common iron that went into
the boilers all the time. It was rotten and
unsafe. and did not have the ten
sile strength. He notified Hetherineton s.
Berner Of this, and members of the
| board-Dr. Harrison and Mr.. Burrell He
didn't much of Mr.. Gapen There were
| eight boilers. He thought the contract was
| over SIS, 600. He did not accept them until or
dered to do SO by the board of trustees Heth-
| erington was always bothering the witness "a
/ make an estimate, but the witness refused.
| Harrison sent e. gentleman to the witness to
| make an estimate for $500. He made that be.
cause he could stand that for old iron. He
| never made any further estimates until in
March, which was the final estimate Then.
by letter to DR.. Fletcher. the trustees ordered
the superintendent to inform him to measure
up the work and conclude the final estimate
with HetherinRton & Berner
| Question-You then made the estimate?
Answer objected then to making the estimate
and said it was shame to pay for those boilers.
| told Dr. Fletcher and Mr.. Hall SO.
Nv hen oblecting to the reception of the boilers
what was said to you in the way of urging you to
| A-Mr Hall said, IF Won don't make that a.
innate and accept those boilers will have You dis
| charged" still refused on his say-so told him
those boilers were unsafe, Hall said THAT is none
went to DR.. Fletcher again. and he said you car
make the estimate, the responsibility is off YOU
SO measured up the work and signed the vouchers
A.-Then had my discharge. made protest to
the board in writing against the boilers being received
! as they were dangerous.
| O.-When was that writtonf
Al think about May. 1t written after m,
Cropsey.
The witness here produced, written in pencil
a copy of the protest This was objected to b,
DR.. Harrieon's counsel, Mr.. Wesuer
Mr.. Swift-We have called for the original Thi
is the next best evidence.
DR.. Harrison-There was no original: we nAver sav
| any original.
The Witness-The letter was sent 70 DR.. Fletche
by street-car driver and handed by DR. Fletcher 4
tho Board went out to the Office. and Burrel. cns
OF the trustees there He spoke of it to Dr. Tar
rison calling his attention to it Burrell said Har
now; we are too busy now" saw the original of thi
then in the hands of Mr. Burrel in the BRUSHES
Office stood along side of him while he was read
ing it.
The witnesses copy OF his protest was LENGTHY
It SAID the workmanship on the boilers was FIRST
class, but the material miserably bad and nm
safe. The witness showed specimens Of iro1
ueed IN the boiler plates which had been treate,
with muriatic acid. explaining what the def
ciencies were. The witness said the iron wa
rotten The muriatic acid showed how mucl
Stag and impurity there was in it. The witnes
was shown By Ar Wesner an estimate made i,
November. 1885. for an allowance of 1000. TIL,
witness acknowledged his signature but said h,
nau signed 1t at tho order OF the board.
Question-Did Hethe rington say anything to 20
about not receiving the boilersi
.Answer-He said had given him = great dea
OF trouble and that he intended to give some; tina
ne-Was going to have me forced out of there.
The witness said the tensile strength Of tn
iron should be S.. 900, but it is not over 80 OOC
AFTER nres were put under the boilers they beea
leaking within four daus and b IA 70 ho .ex.;sea